United States History from 1865 - 1929 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

United States History from 1865 - 1929 - Essay Example 1865 marked the death of slavery and birth of racism in US which appalled as decades passed by while the 20th century highlighted the diplomatic side of US. Slavery in US was officially banned after 1865, yet that was the time of birth of racism in US. African Americans, Asian Americans and Chinese were some of the minorities in US between 1865 and 1929. White Americans formed the majority of US. 1865 and onwards was the era when US opened the gates to immigration and people started to pour into US from all parts of the world. That was also the time when slavery was considerably abolished from US after a long struggle of the states and US had been proven indivisible. Nevertheless, the abolition of slavery gave birth to racism because not all Americans were pleased to see the past slaves acquire the right to vote and fill positions in the government. This raised new challenges not only for the African Americans, but also for all other migrants that were in a minority in the US. After the slavery was legally abolished and the rich culture of America was eradicated, African Americans felt uncomfortable while using their right to vote. Although they had physically been released from the chains of slavery, yet they required decades of psychological therapy to break free of the hold of the trauma of slavery. However, things changed for the better as time passed. Many of them introduced the black codes with puts constraints on their freedom. By 1870, a lot of African Americans were allowed entry into politics and the Congress. But a vast majority of the white Southerners was not in the favor of reconstruction. The culmination of the Reconstruction Period in 1877 sanctioned a new constitution. In spite of the guarantees made by the new constitution, African-Americans and the immigrants had the status of second-class citizens in US. With limited civil rights, they made subordinates to the white Americans that were in majority. Racism was omnipresent in schools, off ices, hospitals, recreational spots and public stations. As the 19th century approached its end, racism in US reached its apogee. Strict segregation in public places, sports, theaters, transportation and cemeteries was supported by law. A vast majority of the African Americans had been denied the right to vote as a result of their inability to pay the poll taxes, which had been primarily enforced to keep them from participating in the policy. African Americans were subject to violence by the mobs and they were put into forced labor in jails if they were made complaint against. Although law had declared them free, yet the majority of African Americans had hardly managed to escape slavery. Start of the 20th century brought industrial revolution to the US. In fact, things had started to change in favor of technological advancement right from the last two decades of the 19th century. Industrialization also made more room for the workers. The American Federation of Labor was established in 1882. Workers were dissatisfied with the low wages and long working hours till the end of the 19th century. Immigrants made a significant proportion of the industrial workforce. Almost 25 million immigrants had settled in different cities of America between 1865 and 1910. Although immigrants were offered lower wages than the native Americans and they had to worker more than them, yet the living conditions in America were better than those in their homelands. Immigrants in America had